Puppies and Vegetarians added AN at end
by darkmist101
Summary: Hitomi is an animal loving vegetarian who has been shunned from her family and friends because of her choices. Enter Van, quiet punk who finds himself drawn to a mysterious girl and her love for animals. Maybe she was the one to accept him...


Authors Note: Hiiii!! Darkmist here…I know its been literally years since I've last written anything…marriage and divorce both suck. Haha…anyways…for those of you who have read my other Escaflowne stories I'M SO SO SO SORRY but Im not going to be finishing adrenaline rush. Also, I've got this story pretty mapped out so all I need is the time to actually type it up but going to college full time with a full time job makes it kind of hard but I will Try to have an update every week. That's my goal at least. Lol. Also, I have no intention on offending any one who consumes meat….I, myself, am a vegetarian so I thought it be cool to have Hitomi be one but that doesn't mean I hate people who eat meat. Hell my boyfriend eats meat so ya. Just wanted to get that out. Don't want any hard feelings.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Escaflowne, just this idea. :]

Chapter 1

_Brrriiiiiiiing!!!!_

A loud buzzing noise intrudes my dreams, pulling me back into consciousness all too soon.

"Okay okay…I'm up." I mutter, flailing my arm out to hit the snooze button. With the silence proceeding my wake-up call, my mind starts to work again and thoughts whirl around making me close my eyes and wish the day was just ending instead of just beginning.

This is how it has been every morning since about 6 months ago when I had a field trip to a neighboring shelter to do volunteer work. Seems innocent enough right? Well wrong on that one.

I roll onto my side and frown as the memory makes me even more determined with my resolution that's kept me ostracized from the world. Well…the human part of the world anyways.

How to start? I click my tongue on the roof of my mouth in thought. I guess at the beginning is as good a place as any.

You see…the shelter was supposed to be this grand place. Animal heaven if you will. That's what it advertised to potential buyers and that's how the outside and even the meeting room looked. That's where the glamour ended. The back kennel where those poor animals were kept was indescribably inhumane.

There was shit and piss coating the floors, bowls were empty, water was no where to be seen and you could smell the disease in the air. It was incredible that the company was still in business. Of course they did show up the animal that was being sold; groomed the fur, put a nice collar on them and made them look sellable.

My fellow classmates thought this was all a riot naturally. Why would they care about an animal? People didn't think animals had feelings or emotions like humans do but I knew better. I left the building immediately and walked home (it was only a couple miles back to my town).

After that my persona changed. I became actively involved in my own towns shelter where I practically live now and I also became vegetarian.

My parents pretended that nothing had changed about me except for the fact I didn't eat any meals with them since all they served was steak or chicken. My friends ditched me completely. They didn't want to be singled out with me as the animal rights hippie freak and the guys just thought I was a freak in general because I didn't eat meat.

Yes, my life was wonderful. My only safehouse was the shelter where I ran to everyday after school and spent every weekend there as well. The family who runs it love me for who I am and they usually share their vegetables at dinner time too.

Well, that's the story up until today. Nothing has changed in the last 6 months except I've gotten thinner and more healthy from lack of meat and that I was introverted with humans beyond possible.

Stepping out of bed, I rake a small, pale hand through my mid-back length brown hair in agitation. Just thinking about people makes me irritated.

I go to my full length mirror and study my face. My green eyes seemed dull and lifeless even under my own scrutiny and my skin was paler then normal.

Sighing, I get dressed in blue jeans and a light blue spaghetti strap cotton shirt, before heading downstairs for some dry cereal (mom didn't believe in soymilk, says its not natural even though soy beans are a freaking plant for gods sake).

My family gives me their usually greetings of silence as I scoop some cheerios into a Styrofoam bowl, grab my backpack and head out the door to school. This was the morning routine. It drove me to tears most of the time.

Shaking my head to rid myself of more depressing thoughts, I munch of the cheerios in silence. I usually walk to school to avoid riding the school bus with the rest of my neighborhood, and the quiet and peace of the outdoors enveloped me in its warm arms lifting my tormented spirit up preparing me for another horrible day at school.

My classes went the same way as always. I kept my long hair down so it hid me from the rest of the world which seemed to work since no one seemed to notice I existed unless I brought attention to myself, which I made sure never happens.

Lunch consisted of me buying a banana (the cheapest vegetarian item the cafeteria offered) and taking it outside to eat under an old oak tree that sat on the opposite side of the campus, far away from the lunching students.

It was a boring and lonely existence but my after school volunteering at the shelter made my life worth living.

As the last bell rang for the day, I stand and walk slowly to the door, making sure I'm the last person to leave so as not to bump into anyone.

Leaving my books in my designated locker, I head out into the parking lot towards the road that lead down to the shelter 5 blocks away.

I had just made it to the sidewalk when shouts followed by what sounded like growling was heard some 50 yards away on the other side opposite of me.

My chest tightens as I recognize the growling to be from an animal and without thinking, I run over to see what was going on.

I lean back against the faded blue camaro that my buddy Allen drives as I watch the group of jocks pick on some stray mutt that had wondered into the school. It was childish and immature that they'd have fun doing such cruel things but whatever.

Sighing in frustration, I rake a hand through my unruly black hair wishing my group would decide to go. I didn't see why they needed to watch this.

I turn away from the scene to see a brown blur zoom by and lung into the crowd.

"What the hell was that?" I say out loud just as angry shouts arise but from a different source. There was a girl standing in between the dog and the group of jocks looking angry beyond belief. She had long brown hair that fell around her face and down her sides and green emerald eyes flashed furiously at everyone.

"Move it freak before we decide you should take the place of the mutt here." A deep voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd.

"Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you." The girl says low and her voice trembled. I wasn't sure if it was from fear or anger.

"That stray almost bit me!" A prissy girls voice sounded around the area where the first voice had shouted.

"She was just protecting her puppy! Can't you see that she was only looking after her young?" And sure enough, mystery girl bent down to the dog who seemed to instantly like the girl as it had stopped growling. Mystery girl stood again with a ball of fur in her hands that wiggled and whimpered pathetically.

My heart squeezed at the noises and I feel myself move forward, towards the girl who seemed to have a magic over animals.

A hand grabbing my arm and muffled shouts from behind brought me back to reality fast and I shake my head dumbfounded. 'What the hell was I thinking? I yell in my head but even as I think it I find myself staring at the girl who courageously stood in the midst of a pack of ravaging morons to defend a dog that wasn't even hers.

The dog wasn't even really good looking. It looked like a cross between a pit bull and a golden retriever with a boxy muzzle, long legs and semi short brownish gold hair. (A/N: not trying to offend anyone who might have a dog like this. I seriously just made it up)

Just then, as if the dog knew what I was thinking, it turned its large head towards me and locked gazes with me. A rush of guilt washed through me as I looked into her eyes feeling the betrayal there as if she had said clearly, "You should be here helping her."

I tear my eyes away and focus instead on the girl who was now lying on the ground. The jocks were kicking her but she just laid there and took it. The mother dog and her puppy stayed back but didn't leave.

Sirens started ringing in the background and that got the group to break up and scatter leaving the girl broken and bleeding on the ground. My group was already piling into the old Camaro and I see the small puppy waddle over to the girls head and curl up next to it with the mom lying against her back.

My heart clenches again and I turn and climb into the car before I could change my mind.

A/N: ok sooo…review please? Suggestions? Comments? Let me know!!


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